Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have been very critical over a period given the IDA and Enterprise Ireland in particular have done very little for County Wexford. In February 2015 the previous Administration made available €150 million for property solutions for the regions. It was something I was very supportive of and I understand there simply cannot be a major advance factory or major IDA investment in every town and village. However, every constituency should certainly be given the prospect of some expenditure.

I found out the fund was being made available to Waterford and I can understand the logic of this as Waterford is the largest urban area in the south-east region. I then received information that funding was going to Carlow-Kilkenny, which is a five-seat constituency. Again, I can understand funding going to the northern perimeter of the region to try to get jobs out of the greater Dublin area, for example, back-office jobs. However, to my very great disappointment, I was then told the funding would revert back to Waterford for the next expenditure from that fund for the south-east region. This is just not acceptable. It means that funding has gone to the four-seat constituency of Waterford, then to the five-seat constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny, then back to Waterford, while leaving out Wexford exclusively. Wexford is a large five-seat constituency and one of the largest counties in the country, with 150,000 people. It is not fair. I have said in this House, and in the other Chamber when I was there, that I am okay with getting a fair share but I am not at all okay with not getting a fair share. On this occasion, it is not happening.

The number of IDA foreign direct investment visits has been in low single digits in recent years. In the first six months of one recent year, there were just three visits. At the same time, I can understand there only being three visits because there is no premises available, although there is some land in the IDA industrial estate in Wexford town - I think it is three acres, in a county the size of Wexford. Again, I am not looking for anything we are not entitled to. I am looking for what we are entitled to, which is to get some shake of what is available. That is not happening. I look forward to the Minister of State's response.

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